QUALITY FIRST CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION

At St Michael’s CE Primary school all children experience high-quality inclusive teaching in our classrooms along with our continuous whole school process for assessing, planning. implementing, tracking, monitoring and reviewing each child’s progress. The teacher has the highest possible expectations for every pupil in their class and inclusive teaching enables all children to flourish and reach their God-given potential.

Our Inclusive Quality First Curriculum Implementation will involve:

• The highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in the class

• Building on what your child already knows, can do and understand

• The use of clear language and instructions

• Giving all children the time to respond

• Adapted lessons, which means different ways of teaching are in place so that your child can access the lesson and is fully involved in their learning. Some examples of differentiation are: additional resources to support their learning, opportunities for paired work or small group work, different ways of presenting their work, scaffolded activities, considered seating

• Specific strategies to support children to learn. Some examples of strategies are: movement breaks, brain breaks, word banks, fiddle toys, printed sheets, word banks, coloured paper, visual aids, pre-warning of questions, the use of specialist equipment

• On-going assessment within the day-to-day framework of the classroom of your child’s progress to identify any gap in learning or understanding

• Small group catch-up sessions where gaps have been identified with experienced teachers and teaching assistants (Specific to the COVID19 lockdown)

English as an Additional Language (EAL)

Children who are at the early stages of speaking English when they come to St. Michael’s are supported with an induction programme. They learn about the routines of the day and are introduced to the members of staff they will work with most closely and who they can go to for help if they need it. They are taught some key phrases and vocabulary that will help them to feel secure and make friends with their peers.

Teachers find creative ways to adapt learning so that children can reach their potential using their home language. We recognise that even if children initially need some support in learning to speak, read, understand and write English, they are likely to already have developed good skills in other areas of the curriculum. Visual cues and dictionaries are used to help children access the curriculum alongside their peers.

Children who have a first language other than English will be part of a language skills group within their class which meet at least once a week to help them prepare for upcoming key vocabulary across the curriculum. These groups are run by the class teaching assistant with the class teacher's input and support.

For more information on our Curriculum, please visit our Curriculum Offer Page